Indeed, coastal and river flooding and heat waves will increasingly challenge the region's environmental, social and economic systems, the report says.

This will boost the vulnerability of the 64 million Northeast residents, especially the most disadvantaged people, according to the report.

More excerpts from the report:

- Between 1895 and 2011, temperatures in the Northeast increased by almost 2 degrees Fahrenheit and precipitation increased by about 5 inches.

- As in other areas, the amount of warming in the Northeast will depend a lot on global emissions of heat-trapping gases. Warming could increase by 3 to 6 degrees or 4.5 to 10 degrees by the 2080s, depending on two emissions scenarios. Under both scenarios, the frequency, intensity and duration of heat waves are expected to increase. By mid-century, most of Maryland and Delaware, southwestern West Virginia and New Jersey, are projected to get more than 60 extra days of 90-plus degree heat each year compared with the end of the 20th century.

- Coastal flooding has increased due to about 1 foot of sea level rise since 1900. The rate of sea level rise exceeds the global average of about 8 inches, largely due to land subsidence. But recent research suggests that a weakening of the Gulf Stream in the North Atlantic may also play a role. Global sea levels are projected to rise 1 to 4 feet by 2100, depending largely on the extent of significant melting in the Greenland and West Antarctic ice sheets. Sea level rise along most of the coastal Northeast is expected to exceed the global average due to local land subsidence, with the possibility of even greater regional sea level rise if the Gulf Stream weakens. Sea level rise of 2 feet, without any changes in storms, would more than triple the frequency of dangerous coastal flooding throughout most of the Northeast.

- The Northeast has experienced a larger recent increase in extreme precipitation than any other region in the United States. Between 1958 and 2010, the Northeast saw more than a 70 percent increase in the amount of precipitation falling in very heavy events (the heaviest 1 percent of all daily events).

- Agriculture, fisheries, and ecosystems will be increasingly compromised over the next century by climate change impacts. Farmers can explore new crop options, but these adaptations are not cost- or risk-free. The capacity to adapt, which varies throughout the region, could be overwhelmed by a changing climate.

- While most states and a rapidly growing number of municipalities have begun to incorporate the risk of climate change into their planning activities, implementation of adaptation measures is still at early stages.